Yesterday, we hosted a Panel Members Forum for independent Decision Makers who hear dispute resolution cases brought to the RTB. This event brings RTB team members and independent Decision Makers together to share knowledge and receive training to ensure a high-quality service for the public.
The RTB’s low-cost dispute resolution service was established in 2004 to resolve disputes between landlords and third parties without the need for court intervention. It has since helped to resolve disputes between 75,000 landlords, tenants and third parties. The independent Decision Makers who are members of the RTB’s mediation, adjudication and Tribunal hearing panels have been essential to delivering this impact.
Between 2021 and 2023, the RTB experienced a 75% increase in dispute resolution applications. This led to an increase in the time taken to resolve dispute cases. At the event, Rosemary Steen, Director of the RTB shared an update on the RTB’s Disputes Improvement Programme, which has made significant progress in reducing dispute resolution timelines in 2024.
In her update, Ms Steen thanked panel members for their contribution to the progress achieved and said:
“With support from the Department, we hired eight new staff for our Disputes Improvement Programme in 2024. This programme has included running early intervention to prevent disputes progressing to a formal hearing. Thanks to these steps, the volume of cases on our mediation waiting list is now down by 60% from Q1 to Q3 2024. Adjudication and tribunal waiting lists were also down by one third over the same period. Next year, we will go further by introducing a new cutting-edge digital platform to manage disputes.”
The event also included an update by Úna Cassidy, BL, Junior Counsel on recent judgements of the High Court which consider how a hearing before the RTB should be conducted and what should be included in a decision.
Stephen Dixon, BL and RTB Panel Member, concluded the event with a presentation on mediating disputes effectively. This input looked at suitable cases for dispute resolution, evidence needed and reviewed several case studies.